Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Immediately afterwards, the sky darkened abruptly, and dazzling patterns of light intertwined as the eighty-eight constellations were illuminated one after another. Beams of light descended from the sky amidst the colorful scattered stardust, arranging themselves in an orderly fashion from top to bottom at the turn of the steps of the Acropolis in Athens, together guarding the arrival of that shining star.

Under the starlight, Sagittarius, the last of the 88 constellations, clad in golden armor, wielding a golden bow, and carrying Medusa's shield, and known as the "Goddess's Guardian," moves with the touch of Medusa, the Serpent Goddess, causing her metal wings to vibrate as they gracefully descend together.

Immediately following, streaks of light descended rapidly, focusing on Sagittarius and the Serpent Goddess, and stood on the left and right sides of the core of the eight marble structural pillars.

Their magnificent entrance was awe-inspiring, immediately captivating the audience. Their overwhelming divine power, like rolling dark clouds, instantly dispelled the various rumors circulating in the city that questioned the identities of the Holy King and the Goddess.

After several days of dramatic changes and the magical projections etched into the streets and alleys, the residents could recognize the corresponding entities at a glance and became convinced of the return of the Holy King Theseus and the Serpent Goddess Medusa.

Following this, the Parthenon proceeded with the lighting of the sacred fire, the burning of incense, and the offering of sacrifices and prayers to the gods.

Samael, the Holy King, personally handed over the flaming arrow to the Spartan high priest, witnessed by the goddess.

Whoosh!

As the bowstring was drawn taut, the arrow shot into the sky.

hum!

After a brief silence, the sky suddenly darkened, the sun and moon shone together, the stars shone brightly, and lightning and thunder roared incessantly, as if the gods were angry.

Immediately afterwards, the sky became a bow, the star marks became arrows, and the vast divine power condensed to its extreme. A beam of golden light, carrying the force of thunder, crashed like a falling comet onto the towering and solemn metal torch stand in front of the Parthenon, which stood atop the Acropolis of Athens.

In an instant, raging flames rose up, and the Olympic flame, dormant for many years, was completely rekindled.

However, the flames that should have been golden turned into billowing black smoke and a ghastly green, with a strong stench of corpses filling the air and permeating the entire city of Athens. The residents, who were almost nauseous, vaguely saw their once-prosperous holy city reduced to ruins in the flames, with mountains of rotting, stinking corpses crawling on them. Carrion-eating crows and vultures swooped down on the bodies, pecking at the livers and flesh of the gruesome dead.

As their senses became clearer and they zoomed in to observe the disturbed corpses, the Athenians were horrified to see their own faces and clothes reflected in them, along with their own agonizing, contorted expressions before death and their shattered bodies.

Woohoo!

In a daze, the dark clouds of death that gathered over Athens coalesced into hideous and terrifying vengeful spirits, emitting sharp roars as they swooped down upon these vibrant lives, seemingly intending to drag them down to hell together. But as the chilling cold seeped into their bodies and the agonizing cries filled their minds, the illusions shattered and vanished amidst the Athenians' terrified screams.

It was as if everything was not just a nightmare.

However, the pale-faced crowd looked up in shock and were horrified to see that the blazing sacred fire was still a sinister, ghastly green.

"Destruction! Destruction! The goddess is warning us!"

"That's right, this war has nothing to do with Athens, and we have no reason to fight for the Spartans!"

"It's all this Spartan woman's fault! She brought terror to Athens!"

Rumble!

Just as many terrified Athenians began to whisper among themselves, a series of thunderclaps sounded in the sky, as if in the wrath of the gods, causing the residents to instinctively fall silent, their faces pale and trembling.

Creaking...

Immediately, bolts of lightning struck the Parthenon, and to the horror of the Athenians,

The Athena statue, which once defended the city of Athens and stands tens of meters tall, is adorned with a golden helmet, breastplate, and robe, with various divine symbols resonating and echoing. It has abandoned its serene posture of a spear resting on its shoulder and a shield placed beside it, and now appears as if it were alive, with its joints moving, its sheepskin shield raised forward, and its stone spear pointing its sharp edge.

Carved from ivory, the face, with its delicate and soft tones, is bursting with rage, while the gem-encrusted eyes gleam with divine light, staring intently at a certain spot.

laugh!

In an instant, the goddess statue slowly assumed a forward-leaning throwing posture, and the stone spear that flew from her hand, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, bombarded the Piraeus naval port with thunderous force, under the astonished gaze of the Athenians.

boom!

In an instant, smoke and dust rose, the earth trembled, and bottomless black cracks spread and tore open, with plumes of ominous and putrid black-green smoke rising from the harbor to the roads, passing through farmland, villages, towns, and heading straight for Athens.

Along the way, the vegetation withered, and livestock convulsed and died tragically, a scene of apocalyptic devastation brought by disease.

Dangdangdang!

Inside the Temple of the God of Medicine, the Calamity Bell tolled endlessly, its dull echo like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of everyone present.

What brought Athens down was actually this disaster!

The Athenians suddenly realized that the evil aura of the plague was about to spread to their heads. In their terror, the residents trembled, a bone-chilling cold spread through their bodies, and they had an urge to turn around and run away.

"Bow of prayer, arrow of purification, the gods bear witness to this, grant us your blessings! May the plague be banished!"

Just as the dark green plume of smoke was about to engulf Athens, solemn divine prayers resounded throughout the city. Helen, dressed in flowing white robes, bent down and gently kissed a pure white arrow. With divine power, she drew back the divine bow that had been sealed in the Pantheon in Rome, and light patterns gradually lit up.

hum!

As the arrow was fired, it encountered the black and green smoke that pierced through it, like a red-hot knife cutting into butter, emitting a piercing squeal like a rat, and was melted by the white light, leaving a clear crack.

Immediately afterwards, streaks of golden-white light shot out from the starry sky, piercing through the black mist with unstoppable force, continuously dissolving and evaporating the last trace.

The plague has been eradicated?!

The Athenians, still in shock, stared blankly at the Parthenon.

As the breeze blew, her veil fluttered, revealing her golden hair, which looked as if it were woven from gold, and her unparalleled beauty, which combined the qualities of a young girl, a noblewoman, and a goddess. The Athenians were stunned and mesmerized.

A goddess! It's a goddess! She must be the goddess sent by the gods to save Athens!

After the rollercoaster of emotions that swept through the crowd, the Athenians, overjoyed at surviving the ordeal and captivated by the fleeting glimpse, erupted in deafening cheers, celebrating the elimination of the source of the plague and the protection of the goddess of Athens.

Chapter 140 The King's Speech (3/3)

boom!

Samuelton, brandishing his lance, stepped forward in anger and revealed the origin of the plague, shattering the Athenians' last remaining hope.

“The Athenians and the Persians want to take our water and land, and their invasion will not stop as long as we breathe.”

Hiding and running away will not earn the enemy's tolerance and pity; they will only think that Athens is weak and easy to bully, and then they will become even more aggressive!

Now, this pandemic is proof that they not only want to ravage our country, but also destroy us!

What followed, along with accusations of corruption and treason against the nobles of divine blood, and a series of presented evidence, further enraged the Athenians.

Medusa, the serpent goddess who governs vengeance and punishment, delivered the verdict. The once high-ranking nobles were led to the top of the Acropolis in Athens, where the people waved their arms and shouted in response.

"Burn them!"

"Yes, burn these parasites from these countries!"

"They actually colluded with the Persians, attempting to spread disaster to Athens. These noble lords are utterly depraved!"

Amidst waves of indignant condemnation, the expressionless Nordic berserkers raised their battle axes and swung them down. Hundreds of heads, their faces contorted in terror, flew through the air, their crimson neck blood splattering wildly, staining the cracks in the square's bricks and flowing into the central torch stand.

After being watered, the dark green flames on the torch platform gradually lost their filth and emitted a sacred and majestic pale gold, making the light even more dazzling.

The thunder in the sky, representing the wrath of the gods, gradually subsided. The olive trees, shimmering with light, swayed their branches in the flames, and the phantom of Nike, the goddess of victory, danced and swirled above Athens, once again sounding the war horns.

This represented divine will for war and victory, which inspired the Athenians.

The Holy King pressed his advantage, unleashing a deafening roar that stirred the hearts of the people who heard it.

"We yearn for peace, but we are not afraid of war, and we should not die meaninglessly like this!"

Each generation has its own tasks and missions to fulfill.

Once, a star descended, the gods paved the way for you, and heroes marched ahead for you. The reason you are able to stand here is because you were saved by many pioneers!

Greece is now facing an unprecedented crisis! The Persians have threatened to destroy us within ten days!

So, Athenians who stand here, it is your turn to step forward!

The century-long Greco-Persian Wars should come to an end. Let us, the older generation, finish the fight.

Let the next generation of children stand tall and proud on this land!

"As masters, not slaves!"

The stirring vocals, rising higher and higher, amplified by thousands of magical amplification arrays, resonated with the people of Upper Athens who lay upon this glorious epic of defeating the wandering stars and the united efforts of humans and gods to avert that apocalyptic catastrophe.

Apart from the shouts, Athens was completely silent, everyone listening solemnly, their fists unconsciously clenching...

Squeeze tight, it hardens!

"Our mission is not only to support Sparta, but also to keep the flames of war at sea and beyond Thermopylae! To prevent these poisonous flames from spreading to our feet!"

If you want your fields to yield harvests, your rivers to be clear, and the streets of Athens to be free of piles of bones...

Athenians, from this moment on, fear has come, war has come!

If Persia wants war, then let them have war!

The Persians brought death, so let them repay them with death!

Athenians, take up your weapons!

Use your blood and flesh to build a high wall!

Use your swords to reclaim the waters of Athens!

Use your shields to defend the land of Greece!

The goddess is on top!

Greece belongs to us, victory belongs to us!

Like the cry of a heroic epic, it stirred the hearts of the Athenians living in the shadow of Persia, making them grit their teeth, involuntarily raise their fists, and let out a deafening roar.

"war!"

"war!"

"war!"

The intense savior complex aroused by the plague and the indignation of the Athenians drove them to Thermopylae, and the strategy of launching a full-scale counterattack against the Persians was unanimously adopted.

Immediately afterwards, to demonstrate military power, a unique military parade was presented to the Athenians in a magnificent display.

The graceful Valkyries of the Norse mythology transform into a phalanx, their movements light and ethereal, while Berserkers and Druids act as swords and shields, their attacks heavy and overwhelming.

The Amazonian warriors of Rome were all tall, beautiful, and divine, like fighting fairies walking among humans. With their superb horsemanship, they charged through the streets, miraculously avoiding all kinds of obstacles, and rushed toward the city gate.

The elderly and young people, their emotions stirred, couldn't wait to join the ranks and follow His Majesty on the battlefield to teach the Persians a lesson.

As the final contingent of Athenian hoplites, the Blood Guard of the God of War, and the spellcasters of the Athenian Academy marched in a grand procession toward the port of Icarus, the crowd, who had initially been resistant and indifferent before the mobilization rally, now cheered wildly. Their eyes were filled with envy as they searched for familiar faces in the procession, offering blessings and encouragement to the men who were sons, fathers, and brothers.

However, what left the Athenians somewhat unsatisfied was that, compared to the Valkyrie Legion and the Amazon warriors' bravery and prowess, the mostly mediocre Eighty-Eight Saints and the God Blood Guard, who suffered heavy losses in the Great Purge, seemed rather lackluster.

Furthermore, the Academy of Athens, which was expelled and then urgently rebuilt, also had its flaws at the level of its spellcasters.

Woo!

Just as disappointment was creeping into the hearts of the Athenians, a loud horn sounded from the port of Icarus, and waves hundreds of meters high surged in.

hum!

As the massive, overwhelming waves threatened to engulf the harbor, a towering shadow leaped out of the sea. Amidst the creaking of machinery, it revealed its menacing cannon muzzle, and the surrounding ether frantically converged towards the several magic arrays charging above the cannon barrel.

boom!

In an instant, a red and black light band with a diameter of tens of meters swept across the sky, cutting through the waves and tearing the surging waves in half with unstoppable force, shattering them all.

A damp, salty breeze swept by, and beneath the splashing water, the hideous face of the steel monster was revealed.

A colossal warship! This is a jet-black warship constructed entirely of metal, covered with red and black light patterns!

A strange sense of familiarity, along with a hidden fear, welled up in the hearts of the elderly.

At the same time, as the tide surged and split, huge ripples spread out, and one after another, warships made entirely of metal, amidst the white waves, surfaced, numbering nearly a thousand.

An uncontrollable tremor caused those who had experienced the war to turn pale and utter nightmarish answers with dryness.

Atlantis, the Deep Sea Fleet!

Chapter 141 The End of the Great Wooden Horse!

hum!hum!hum!hum!

In an instant, dense red and black light patterns resonated and vibrated, the hull crackled, and amidst the rhythmic metallic sounds, the sturdy deck atop the hundred-meter-high flagship slowly opened, revealing a narrow runway leading directly into the interior of the ship.

At the same time, as various divine runes and magic arrays inside the cabin were activated, a tall figure in a jet-black full metal armor merged into the pillar of light and was transmitted from the captain's cabin into the corridor hangar.

As the beam of light descended, the parked silver-white, horse-shaped metal mech slowly opened its hatch to welcome the pilot.

"The etheric magic circuit is functioning normally, the neural response is good, the soul medium core tuning is complete, and the divine body barrier Aegis link is initiated."

The limits of the Machine God Corridor have been lifted, multiple protections have been activated, and the Magic Core Power Furnace is now operating at constant power!

Clear the way ahead! The [End Trojan Horse] is on its way!

Then, amidst a series of solemn contemplations, the divine runes surrounding the silver-white warhorse-shaped mech gradually dimmed and disappeared, releasing the restriction on its movement.